Figuring out all ze upgrades ...
Semi-finalized list of upgrades & parts. Work in progress.
| Upgrade | Parts | Price | ✓ |
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| Interior | Surprise Straps | $100 | ✓ |
| Lift & Suspension | ✗ | ||
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| Window Tint | LLumar CTX (matched to factory tinting) | $140 | ✓ |
We've got lots of local 4x4/offroad shops. It's a big thing here.
| Shop | Contact | Address | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| A Touch of Shade |
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3609-12 Austin Bluffs Pkwy. Colorado Springs, CO 80918 | M-F: 9AM - 6PM Sat: 9AM - 3PM Sun: Closed |
| Drive-In Audio Sound |
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4335 Integrity Center Point Colorado Springs, CO 80917 | M-F: 9AM-7PM Sat: 9AM-6PM Sun: Closed |
| Predator 4WD | (719) 528-5790 craig@predator4wd.com | 4260 North Nevada Avenue Colorado Springs, CO 80907 | M-F: 8AM-5PM Sat: Closed Sun: Closed |
| 4Wheel Parts |
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1749 S. Academy Blvd Colorado Springs, CO 80916 | M-F: 9AM-6PM Sat: 9AM-3PM Sun: Closed |
| Tanner 4-Wheel Drive | (719) 475-8057 tanner4x4@msn.com | 1920 East Pikes Peak Avenue Colorado Springs, CO 80909 | M-F: 8AM - 6PM Sat: 8AM - 2PM Sun: Closed |
| R & R Off Road |
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3721 E. Pikes Peak Colorado Springs, CO 80909 |
Online 4x4/offroad shops.
| Products | Shop | Notes |
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| OEM | Mopar | |
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| Recovery Gear | Tactical Recovery Equipment | |
| Grab Handles | Surprise Straps | highend, handmade paracord grab handles |
| CB Radio | Right Channel Radios | prebuilt mobile CB packages |
| Roof Racks | BajaRack | |
| Tents | TepuiTents | expensive roof-top tents |
| Coolers | Yeti Coolers |
Some sites & guides I've found helpful.
- Project JK
- WayaLife JK FAQ
- Stock to Rock
- RubiTrux 2016 Rubicon Hard Rock Build
- Rubicon 2015 Hard Rock Loaded
- Toxic Crush Build
- Operation OverlanderZ Lysol
- Rubitrux Hard Rock Parts
Per-subject notes on various components and upgrades.
Initially I wanted an onboard air compressor setup, for the following uses:
- airing tires back up
- with an ARB X-Jack for faster recovery
- removing lugs with an impact wrench
- inflating camping matresses
Note: My rubicon has the jeep OEM auto lockers, so unless I break it at some point and upgrade to ARB Air Lockers, it won't be used to power the lockers.
In general these are pretty light-weight activities.
- After talking to several people and reading up, it doesn't look like the ARB X-Jack replaces the need for a Hilift Jack. The X-Jack is also designed to be run off an exposed tailpipe, not an air compressor. Not sure if it will work this way.
- The single engine onboard air compressor isn't going to be able to deliver enough power to run an impact wrench.
- The twin engine onboard air compressor can power an impact wrench, but a tank will be needed as well.
- Typically lugs require 120+ lbs of torque to remove.
- Parts
- ARB CKMTA12 '12V' On-Board Twin High Performance Air Compressor
- ARB CKMA12 Air Compressor
- ARB Twin Air Compressor Install on Jeep Wrangler JK
- http://www.amazon.com/EVO-1097-ARB-Air-Compressor-Mount/dp/B00TEA14ZW
- http://m.tools-plus.com/milwaukee-2763-20.html?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=froogle&utm_term=MLW2763-20&gclid=CIf7jqiPjMoCFQcOaQod_XAHSQ
- Guides
Typically I prefer black-on-black body color with dark gray trim - however my wife really fell in love with the look of the white Hard Rock with black trim (the regular white rubicon was too much white though). So we ended up getting the Hard Rock (for several reasons, but this the included black trim was something my wife liked).
One of the inexpensive trim after market upgrades is to replace the white grill with a black after market grill - we looked at a couple different styles:
Out of these, she liked the Eagle Eye grill the best, so that's what we went with.
I purchased the Rubicon Hard Rock edition - so I already have steel bumpers on the front & rear.
Stinger bar notes:
- safety (primary purpose)
- primary purpose is to prevent the jeep from tipping forward during a roll over
- a front rollover is the most hazardous type of rollover, commonly results in head injuries
- if jeep rolls frontward down a steep slope, weight of vehicle is thrown forward while it pivots on front bumper
- stinger bar causes jeep to roll to the side instead, resulting in a slower, less dangerous rollover
- protection
- prevents damage to the frontend due to collision, especially when being pushed or pulled
- protects the grill, winch, and lights
- utility
- can also be used as a ramp when traversing large obstacles
- can be used as a winch or toe strap anchor point in some situations
- http://www.summitracing.com/parts/orf-83662/overview/
Stuff I already had from the truck.
I turned down the factory touchscreen/nav cause I had the Pioneer AVH-4000NEX. In retrospect, I shouldn't have - the 'reinstall cost' from Drive-In Audio Sound ended at $1100, after we had to install a second subwoofer under the driver seat (which limits how far down it can go), due to the proprietary factory wiring - and even after that, I still don't have an offline gps/maps solution (currently using apple maps, which requires celluar data).
On the first two trails I've been on, we've gone in and out of cellular service, making phones not a great option for reliable communications on the trail.
I dabble in Amateur Radio and initially I focused on using my BaoFeng BF-F8HP HT as a mobile unit in my jeep. The HAM Technician License allows you to transmit on 2m (144-148Mhz) and 70cm (430-450Mhz) - which (not coincidentally) is also the tuning for nearly all entry-level HAM Radios and commericially sold vehicle antennas on the market.
Doing some testing and research, I quickly discovered that:
- Getting adequate performance in the vehicle requires a fair bit of knowledge about Antenna Theory.
- For mobile applications, CB is much more common and popular than Amateur Radio.
- When wheelin' with friends, having simple car-to-car communications for everyone in the group is a must.
It's not realistic to expect that everyone I'm going out wheelin' with will have an Amateur Radio License and a mobile setup (though it would be awesome). So unfortunately - having an easy, unlicensed communications solution is essential. On our initial trips out I had my HT with me (and was able to use this with a friend who also dabbles in Amateur Radio), however no one else in the group has any HAM equipment or training, so we instead ended up using a set of Motorolla Walkie Talkie's which were tuned to FRS (with 1/2W transmit power, as legally allowed by unlicensed users).
While the Walkie Talkie's are the easiest setup for car-to-car communications in a group they are are only useful for short-range, friendly communications in a 'convoy'. For emergency situations, they have extremely limited usefulness:
- They only transmit on FRS, which isn't ideal for use in emergency situations.
- The range is very limited (1/4 watt), which provides only very short-range communications.
- As the group has scaled above 4 vehicles, having more units has become a requirement.
All these factors have pushed me towards viewing a CB radio as a primary requirement for my Jeep (with a mobile Amateur Radio) setup as a secondary requirement (long range communications for emergency situations - but this is outside the scope of what most people are going to be concerned with).
CB ends up being the ideal solution for (some) mobile communications (in my opinion) for several reasons:
- It doesn't require a license, is inexpensive, and easy to setup.
- It's very commonly used for mobile applications.
- It has a much greater operating than Walkie Talkie's.
- Units are available in very small, convenient form-factors, taking up little space.
CB radios operate in the HF 11m band between 26.965 and 27.405 Mhz. This range is broken into a set of 40 channels. An interesting thing about CB radio is that it supports SSB, though is is much less commonly used. SSB allows for high transmission power (12w) - and in combination with the enhanced modulation capabilities, this results is the capability for long-range communications - making CB much more useful in emergency situations.
Note
Since I'm already planning on having a proper mobile Amateur Radio setup, SSB on CB is not a requirement for my use-case. However for someone not interested in Amateur Radio, they may want look closer at a CB setup with SSB capabilities (specifically for it's usefulness in emergency situations).
One of the easiest solutions is available from Right Channel Radios as the Cobra 75WSXT JK CB Kit. I opted not to use this kit, because I didn't like the antenna mounting solution and I found a few of the components in the kit to be less than ideal.
Mounting the antenna on the back of the jeep is suboptimal for several reasons. Here are some good discussions on the subject:
- Here is where you should mount your CB and HAM antennas on your Jeep
- Choosing CB Radios, Antennas & Mounts for Jeeps
- CB Radios for Jeeps
With that information in mind, we have to balance the optimal with other factors. I'm not mounting the antenna in the center of the hood - and mounting it higher up on the vehicle (side of the hood vs. bumper) increases the overall height, which means I need a shorter antenna so it's not hitting every branch on the trail and I can still park it in the garage without hitting the ceiling.
I'm still really new to all this and haven't done performance comparisons - so I don't know for sure (and could definitely be wrong) - but it seems that a shorter antenna mounted on the side of the hood (less interference from the body) will hopefully outperform a longer antenna with a mostly obstructed line of sight mounted on the bumper.
Based on this, I built my solution around the following equipment:
- Cobra 75WXST CB Radio
- Cobra 75WXST Mounting Bracket
- AUJ1 CB Fender Mount
- Firestik II 2' Tunable Tip Antenna
- Firestik Antenna Spring
- Firestik K-4A Coax Terminal
- 9' RG58AU Cable with PL-259 Connectors
Still brainstorming on the long-range Amateur Radio setup.
- HT Setup
- Misc
- http://www.quadratec.com/products/96080_213.htm
- http://www.quadratec.com/products/96080_1202.htm
- http://www.wranglerforum.com/f274/ham-cb-antenna-mounting-on-jku-what-works-471433.html#post11579010
- http://hamworldinc.com/products/diamond-cr8900a-quad-band-mobile-antenna
- http://www.k0bg.com/images/pdf/mobile_vhf_ant.pdf
- https://www.rightchannelradios.com/
- http://www.eham.net/ehamforum/smf/index.php?topic=91472.0
- http://www.jk-forum.com/forums/jk-cb-ham-radios-128/here-where-you-should-mount-your-cb-ham-antennas-your-jeep-227276/
- https://www.rightchannelradios.com/blogs/selection-guides/18542243-cb-radios-for-jeeps
- http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/11684-Antenna-location-for-Jeep-Wrangler-with-roof-rack
- http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/9466-Communications-Antennas-mounted-on-front-bumper
- http://www.eham.net/ehamforum/smf/index.php?topic=73861.0
- L-Bracket 1255-B 3/4 Hole NMO Mount
- Browning WSPBR1015 Enclosed Nmo 3/4 Hole Mount
Interior modifications.
Need AUX switches for lights & such.
- Rugged Ridge JK Aux Pillar
- Rugged Ridge 17235.58 Black Left Side A-Pillar 4-Switch Pod
- SPOD SE
- http://www.otrattw.net/
- http://www.morris4x4center.com/spod-6-switch-panel-without-air-gauge-spod-600-0915.html
- Body Lift
- A body lift uses metal spacers to raise the body higher off the frame (typically for the purpose of clearing larger tires).
- Body lifts are less expensive than suspension lifts but add no performance value.
- Leveling Kit
- Trucks & jeeps come from the factory with 'rake' built into the suspension (the back sits slightly higher than the front to accomidate added weight).
- Having the rear slightly elevated prolongs the life of the suspension.
- A leveling kit is used to bring the front and rear to an equal height by slightly raising the front.
- A leveling kit is essentially a body lift, for the purpose of leveling vehicle.
- Suspension Lift
- Coil Springs
- Shocks
- Front Track Bar
- Control Arms
- Sway bar links
- A 35-inch tire is about 8 percent larger than the stock Rubicon tire
- 37-inch tires only net you about 1-inch more ground clearance than the 35s
- 37s add quite a bit more weight (10lbs/tire) and increased leverage that cause axle-related failures
- worn ball joints
- broken axle shafts
- broken lockers
- bent axle housings
- Vendors
- Guides
Stock control arms or replacement adjustable control arms that mount to the same brackets are short arms. Long arms require the chassis end brackets to be removed and new ones welded on further away from the diff to cater for the 'longer' control arms. Benefits are smoother ride and easier articulation and generally used for higher lifts (4+ inch suspension lifts).
Still working out the lighting details. Probably the setup will be:
- 1x 50" Bright white LED light bar w/ upper windshield brackets (Rough Country Upper Windshield LED Brackets)
- 2x 4" Bright white LED spotlights w/ lower windshield brackets (Rough Country Lower Windshield LED Brackets)
- 2x 9" Amber (or white w/ amber lens) LED flood lights (mounted on bumper)
The idea behind amber lighting is that, by removing blue from the light spectrum, we reduce the perceived glare from snow, rain, fog, and dust which results in better visibility.
| Light | Type | Dimensions | Pattern | Lumens | Temp | Power | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARB AR21F Intensity Flood Light | LED | 9.8x6.5x12 | Flood | 6950 | 6500K | 74W | |
| ARB AR32F Intensity Flood Light | LED | 9.8x6.5x12 | Flood | 8200 | 6500K | 90W | |
| Rigid Industries Dually Amber Floodlight | LED | 8x6x6 | Flood | 3260 | |||
| KC HiLiTES 151 Apollo Pro | LED | ||||||
| Oslamp 50" Curved Light Bar | LED | 50" | Combo | 48000 |
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| Oslamp 4" Spot Light | LED | 4" | Spot | 3000 | 6500K | 18W |
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| Yatos 9" Intensity Knock Off | LED | 9" | Combo | 18500 | 6000K | 185W |
- Oslamp 50" Installation Video
- Oslamp Windshield LED's Installation
- http://www.rigidindustries.com/sites/default/files/catalog/31.pdf
- http://store.arbusa.com/Lights-C12.aspx
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNOklmB3TPE
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lri0DRh2V0U
- http://www.wranglerforum.com/f274/5-dollar-50-led-light-bar-whistle-fix-228165.html
- https://www.facebook.com/Oslamp-offcial-1596727037234276/
I opted out of the Jeep OEM Navigation 430N/RHB upgrade on the new JKU (6.5" LCD + Garmin Navigation) for two reasons:
- I already have a Pioneer AVH-4000NEX headunit (Apple CarPlay headunit w/ 7" LCD from my previous vehicle)
- The navigation service requires an expensive subscription to keep the GPS data updated
After the first two trail rides - I realized the issue with this is that both Apple Maps & Google Maps require a live cellular connection to download the map data, which frequently isn't available. This is a major problem
I'm currently testing out the AllTrails app.
- SmittyBilt Recovery Utility Tool
- Hi-Lift X-TREME Jack
- SmittyBilt Element Ramps
- The MAX Multipurpose Tool
- Recovery Gear Basics
- X-Jack Recovery of my FJ
- LROTV High Lift Jack Vs Air Jack
- Popular Mechanics Essential Offroad Gear
- technically not street legal
- A Touch Of Shade
- synthetic cable
- lighter than steel cable
- more expensive (about 2.5x) than steel cable
- synthetic cable doesn't stretch and recoil - it'll just break and fall
- generally 2.5X more expensive than
- requires more care than steel cable
- parts
The AVH units have a pretty complex equalizer configuration.
- Enabling 'Rear Speaker' enables fade & balance control
- Mute Level
- ATT (Attenuated): Lower music volume when alerts are spoken or played
- Mute: Mute music when alerts are spoken or played
- Off: Don't adjust music volume when alerts are spoken or played
- Crossover Settings
- HPF - 'High Pass Filter'
- LPF - 'Loww Pass Filter'
- HZ -
- Bookmarks
There are definitely some bugs with the carplay software. There are several revisions to the headunit's firmware which help resolve them. Unfortunately updating the firmware is a little tedious and the instructions skip over several important details.
- Updating the firmware using a USB Stick requires having an female adapter so you can plug the USBstick into an external USB cable, connected to the back of the unit.
- You can update via an SDCard without a female USB adapter.
- Any hidden/invisible files on the update media will cause the firmware update to fail.
- The .zip archive needs to be extracted to the root of the update media (not mentioned in pioneer's instructions).
To update the firmware on the AVH-4000NEX (OSX):
- Get an SDCard that can be reformatted, plug into OSX computer (adapter: Transcend USB 3.0 SDCard Reader)
- Open DiskUtil and format SDCard
- Name: AVHSD
- Format: MS-DOS (FAT)
- Scheme: Master Boot Record
- Download the latest firmware package (from: Pioneer AVH-4000NEX)
- Extract the folder from the .zip archive.
- Copy the folder (unextracted) to the root of the update media.
- Use the instructions below to remove all invisible files from the update media.
- Turn the vehicle on
- Insert the SDCard
- Navigate to System Information -> Firmware Update & Continue
- The headunit takes about 3-5 minutes to read the firmware, then prompts to reboot
- After rebooting, the headunit will boot from the SDCard and update the firmware (takes about 5-10 minutes)
Remove invisible/hidden files from update media:
cd /Volumes/AVHSD
mdutil -i off .
rm -rf \.*
cd
diskutil unmountDisk /dev/disk1
diskutil eject /dev/disk1Headunits are required (by law) to disable in-dash video while the parking break is not engaged. This couldn't be more annoying. This prevents you from from:
- Playing news w/ video using the headunit while driving (podcasts)
- Playing videos for kids using the headunit while driving
Fortunately, it's pretty easy to bypass.